–Today on the Bob Haynie Show, he set the over/under win total for Daniel Cabrera at 11. I will take the under. I honestly believe his best days (if there were any) are far past him. Daniel is a nice guy, but I think he got influenced and took some, not so good advice from guys over the last couple of years. Daniel to me seems to think of himself as a better pitcher than what he is….or ever will be

–To further that I think only one Orioles pitcher will reach 11 or more wins. I am not sure who it will be, but I don’t think that there will be more than one, and no I don’t think it will be Jeremy Guthrie. Maybe it is Steve Trachsel, if he is here long enough to make it to 10-11 wins.

–I still say barring Matt Ryan being there at the number eight position, which several people are starting to think he will be, the Ravens are going defense in the first round. I think Talib from Kansas would be a solid pick, as would Gholston(Ohio State), maybe a Merling ( Clemson), or Rivers(USC). Brandon Flowers could be a wild card thrown in there also. I still say that Joe Flacco or Brian Brohm will not be hearing the Ravens calling their name at the number eight spot in the draft ( EDIT: I know Chris is now going to send me five emails about articles saying that Brian Brohm is the sleeper in the draft….sorry I am not sold on him).

–I see my old good friend Erik “The Great” Bedard is still up to his old tricks. I have not and did not like Erik and the way he treated the media from day one. The guy is a very good pitcher and for most fans how he treats the media is ill relevant, but it is interesting to see the Seattle media is already having his lunch and they are not even out of spring training yet. I can honestly say he is one of the most difficult people I have dealt with in the media and probably always will be.

–Make sure you check out the MMA segment with Rob Long and John Rallo this Thursday from 2:30 -3 pm, as the will have Sam Sheridan who is the author of the book A Fighter’s Heart. Sam took a very interesting angle at talking about the world of mixed martial arts, including traveling the world to learn different styles. Also on the show tomorrow will be Kenny “KenFlo” Florian who will be on to talk about his upcoming main event fight on Spike TV for UFC Fight Night on April 2. With a win on April 2nd against Joe Lauzon, Kenny will be lining himself up for a title shot in the near future.

–Since Nestor mentioned Van Halen the other day in his blog, I will say that if you are a fan of KISS, you need to check out the DVD series that came out KISSology. Right now there are three volumes of DVD’s ( KISSology 1,2,&3), and they each have three DVD’s with some pretty amazing stuff on them. From concerts in foreign countries, to KISS movies, to first show without makeup, to KISS Unplugged and everything in between.

I am not a betting man. The closest that I get to it is the annual fantasy baseball league or two that I play in with my best friend. However, I think the time has come to lay odds on what Erik Bedard will do now that he is out of Baltimore. Everyone is predicting a pitcher that will win 20 games next season and lead the team in the Emerald city to the playoffs. I’m really not sure that I agree.

Make no mistake about it, Bedard is the best pitcher and only ace the Orioles have had since Mike Mussina bolted for Bronx pinstripes. I think that it was in the spring of 2002 that I watched Bedard throw the most wicked curve that I had seen since Gregg Olson was in his prime to Rafael Palmeiro (then of the Texas Rangers….and not yet disgraced) in a spring training game. I went on the air with Nestor the next day and said “I have seen the future, and his name is Erik Bedard!” There was no question in my mind that he should have been in the lead for the American league Cy Young Award before he got hurt. Let me emphasize BEFORE he got hurt, and never pitched again. There was no question that he is a talent, and although it took a little while longer than those of us in Baltimore would have liked, for the most part, we saw that talent come to fruition. Talent however, (as I have heard a few people say in the last day or so) is not the only ingredient needed to be a champion.

A lot of people that have watched Bedard play question his heart and his desire. There are people in the organization who privately questioned his heart and his desire. I have to count myself among this crowd. Yes, it is hard to say that after watching the majority of his last two seasons in Baltimore when he made much of the American League look like little boys with tooth picks in their hands. That said, when I think of a leader, I have never thought of Erik Bedard.

Bedard and former Oriole ace Mike Mussina are similar in a few ways. Bedard and Mussina are both from small towns. They could both be aloof when it came to the media and the fans. They have both been perceived at arrogant by the masses. While Mike got there almost immediately in his career, when they arrived at the elite status, they both took the league by storm. At that point, much of the comparison comes to an end. Mike was a leader. Don’t mistake what I am saying. Mike wasn’t a leader of men. Certainly not! Mike was a pitching staff leader.

Mike always wanted the ball. He never wanted to come out of games. Mike was not only capable, but desirous of going 9 innings. He always cared about winning. If a season was going south, Mike still gave it all he had when he was on the mound. Whether it was for selfish, or for team reasons can be debated, but the results certainly cannot. They still benefited the team. As much as people would say that all of the conditions had to be right for Mike to pitch, I remember him holding the ball on the mound a whole lot of the time.

It always seemed pretty easy to keep Bedard off the mound. It wasn’t so much that people questioned that he was hurt when he missed starts, but many would question how long he would be gone, and how long it would take him to heal. It is true that this is an era in the game where completing what you started as a pitcher is a rarity. That said, it does happen! In his five year career, Erik Bedard has one complete game. ONE! That came last season in his most brilliant performance. You want your ace to be able to go the distance on occasion to save the pen and boost the team. I’ve heard some people criticize guys for not taking the ball on three days rest and not killing themselves to win. I think that is a bit much. However, your best pitcher should be able to carry the load.

Despite what he said yesterday at his press conference, I’m not sure that Bedard really cares about winning. While I will not put him in the category of being a bad guy as some have, I do think that rubs off on young impressionable players. The Orioles have gotten rid of a lot of the guys they had in the last few years who thought that as long as they were in the big leagues, that was enough. There are still a few left. Jeremy Guthrie and Adam Loewen strike me as guys who do have a fire to prove something and to win. It would have be a shame to see that snuffed out. Perhaps I am underestimating him, and all he needs to turn on the eye of the tiger is the thrill of the pennant race. If that is the case, isn’t that in reverse? Don’t you want your staff leader to lead the charge rather than ride the wave? Let me put it another way; do you really think that the Baltimore Orioles will turn this decade long losing streak around with players who cannot find it in themselves to be winners? Particularly when that player is the staff pitching ace?

If the Orioles had kept him, he would have been a free agent in two years. Despite so many of these glaring issues, Bedard will probably command $18 – $20 million dollars. Frankly, I don’t think that he is worth it now, and I would bet that he won’t be worth it then. If even a couple of the players that the Orioles received prove to make an impact, that is money well spent if you ask me. If Adam Jones is one of those players, the Orioles could be in good shape.

I think that I have given you a decent picture of what I think of Bedard. So, the over/under on what I think his season will look like:

Wins – 15-17: I don’t think Bedard will win 20 games. Only one pitcher has done it in the last two years. His improved bullpen will help him. So will pitching the majority of his games at Safeco. I am not sure however how much better the Mariners offense is going to be than what the Orioles had last year. If they had kept Jose Guillen, I might think more of it. They have some holes that they need to figure. Bedard also doesn’t go deep enough into games to bridge the gap in the close ones. Finally, he can’t stay healthy through an entire season.

ERA – 3.50 – 3.85: That is a product of talent, execution, knowing the league, and defense. He can handle his end when he is healthy, and the Mariners should be an exceptional defensive team.

STRIKEOUTS – 225: Yes, he almost reached that number in five months last season. If he is smart, he will see how good his defense is, and save some of his arm by letting his guys catch the ball. (Adrian Beltre and Yuniesky Betancourt may be the best defensive left side of an infield in the American League.)

TIME ON THE DL – 30-35 days: There is no question in my mind that he will spend at least a month on the 15 day DL sometime this season. It could be an oblique. It might be a strained hamstring. He might wear his new hat too tightly causing migranes. Whatever the case, I would bet that he suffers a legitimate injury requiring an illegitimate recovery time.

PLAYOFF APPEARANCES IN THE NEXT TWO YEARS – 0: I think the Mariners have overestimated how good they are from top to bottom. Felix Hernandez is much like Bedard was a few years ago. He has tons of talent, but is still figuring it out. I think that he is far too young to be considered staff ace 1-A. As I mentioned earlier, I think the offense is going to have trouble. Despite the recent news that Kelvim Escobar could be out for the Angels, I think that they are still the team to beat in 2008. Yes the A’s and Rangers are rebuilding, which makes it a two team race, but anything can happen in a 4 team division. Don’t be surprised if the Rangers return to the top of the division in 2009. They still have a nice collection of talent in Arlington. A year from now they might finally have the pitching staff to go with it.

NUMBER OF CHAMPIONCHIPS IN THE NEXT TWO YEARS – 0: (See above.)

FREE AGENT SALARY IN 2009 – 18.5 million dollars annually, 5-7 year deal: No matter what you or I think, he is one of the best pitchers in the game. With what some of the jokers out there are making, there is no doubt that barring injury, Bedard has a huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuge pay day coming! Who knows, if the Orioles want him back, maybe they’ll pony up the dough. I’d just assume they’d pass.

I have nothing against Erik Bedard. I don’t have a problem with what he said yesterday. Frankly, he told the truth, and didn’t embarrass Baltimore while doing it. I couldn’t care less whether he ever speaks to the media. I also wish him well in making as much money as he possibly can. I just don’t think he is made of the stuff that you want in a champion. Good luck in Seattle Erik! I’m looking forward to watching Adam Jones go get ‘em in center!

Let me make this very clear….Erik Bedard had to be traded! He was the one piece they had that would bring them a true blue chip prpspect. In Adam Jones, that is what they got. The arms that they recieved around Jones are nice fits for a needy organization as well. No, I congratulate Andy McPhail for pulling off a strong if not perfect trade. The problem came with insanity that was the wait.

When Kevin Malone left his position as Assistant General Manager with the Orioles to take the lead spot with the Dodgers, he said of Peter Angelos that the only issue that he had with the owner was his lack of understanding of timing in baseball managemet. Through all of the bad decision making the Orioles have been plagued with, no statement has defined this losing era more exactly. Bringing Andy McPhail on board was supposed to fix that problem.

Armed with his knowledge and expertise, and the autonomy to do what he saw fit for the team, McPhail is supposed to be the salvation of the organization. The biggest question from the time of his hiring through the early off-season was if McPhail would truly have freedom to make the moves that needed to happen. Through his first two major moves (Tejada and Bedard) it would be hard for anyone to question that the new GM does in fact have the ability to do what he deems necessary to improve this franchise on the field. The Orioles timing however, is still an issue.

It took nearly two weeks to complete a deal that everyone knew was going to go down. Two weeks to make something that all parties involved wanted happen. Two weeks where the deal could have fallen apart, or someone could have gotten hurt. There is no question that deals often take months to develop and finish. The problem is that this deal seemed to be all taken care of with the exception of the physical. It was then that Peter Angelos’ influence showed up.

Angelos, a highly successful lawyer, likes things done in the same fashion you might handle a legal case. Having been burned in the past, he seems obsessed with dotting all of the i’s and crossing all of the t’s. As a result, the physicals held up the deal for an unreasonable amount of time. How many times have you heard that a trade is completed, pending a physical. Everyone understands that! If your buy damaged goods, you have a window to return them. In Angelos’ realm that is not good enough. The Orioles once again became the butt of jokes around the baseball world. Even with a competent GM, they can’t just get things done. It used to be blamed on the two-headed GMs. There is no second person this time. Unless of course….you consider Angelos.

At a time when they need to be reinventing their reputations with other organizations, they continue the same poorly executed patterns. It is instances like these that make teams hesitant to deal with the Orioles.

At a time when McPhail needs to be able to execute moves with teams and have them trust that he has no restraints, it was clearly demonstrated in the last two weeks that the biggest restraint of all is still in place.

Things have to be done at the right moment in baseball. Moves have to come when the opportunity is there. Wait too long sometimes…and poof….a better deal comes and you are left holding the bag. Just ask the new GM of the Minnesota Twins, Bill Smith, who waited too long to move Johan Santana and got less than he could have as a result.

After a decade of poor management, teams need to know that the Orioles are ready to change their practices.

Andy McPhail was the first step. Now the next step is to get Peter Angelos out of the day to day management of the team completely!

Big money contract…OK!

Other than that, you hired McPhail to be your organizational leader.

Trust him to be that, or this losing process will never get turned around.

Comments Off on Even in doing the ‘right thing’ O’s handle business poorly

That is, if he is officially in an Orioles uniform. Of course, we do have to watch the snail-like pace of the Erik Bedard deal come to a close. I will be asleep possibly when this deal gets done, not because the deal will happen in the middle of the night, but because I as many of you are tired of seeing this whole deal dragged throughout the week. I’m sure Adam Jones is sick of it as well.

Let’s get the proposed trade out of the way and let’s start talking about this Adam Jones kid. According to PECOTA (Player Empirical Comparison and Optimization Test Algorithm) scouts, some dubbed Adam Jones as “an exciting player, with outstanding defensive ability, a 7 rated arm (8 being the best), and tremendous range. At the plate, he has a very quick bat and average power already, projecting plus in the future. He does however, struggle with pitch recognition and can be beaten with breaking pitches. He’s going to be a star, but he’s the type of guy who can have a lot of ups and downs as he adjusts to big league pitching, especially since he hasn’t really been challenged in the minors”.

I know some of you are thinking, “aww geez, another rookie!”, but look at the big picture in terms of the future. We aren’t going anywhere in ’08. We may lose over 100 games and possibly hit the 5th place spot in the AL East. Let Adam play 162 games, odds are he’ll hit .248, have 22-25 HR’s, 80-88 RBI’s, and 90 + runs scored. It’s better than what Corey Patterson could do, why not let this young man go through the growing pains? In a couple of years, he and Nick Markakis will make up one of the best outfields in the American League. Nick started off slow but emerged as the best player on the O’s in a span of two years. I believe Adam will, if given time, become a reason for me to go to Camden Yards more often. He should be THAT good.

Lend me your thoughts on this topic! Also, check out the Bruce Cunningham Ravens Report with Aaron Wilson on Saturday’s from 11 A.M. to 1 P.M. only on Sportstalk 1570 WNST!

It’s been 10 days since Adam Jones told a Venezuelan reporter that he was coming to Baltimore as the centerpiece of a trade between the Seattle Mariners and Baltimore Orioles.Adam Jones is still not an Oriole, Erik Bedard still hasn’t flown to Seattle for his physical, Peter Angelos was reportedly “furious” that young Mr. Jones made any type of public comments regarding any potential deal, Andy MacPhail continues to issue no comments, and everyone, players, executives and fans alike, are wondering exactly what is going on (if anything).I said it Saturday on the air, and I’ll continue to say it: Absolutely nothing has changed with the Orioles under this ownership group.Nothing can get done with this bunch without protracted fighting.It seems the only drama that comes with this team occurs well off the diamond.Lord knows there hasn’t been any drama on the field for well over a decade.

Meanwhile, Aubrey Huff and Jay Gibbons are still on the 40 man roster.

Can MacPhail just get Brian Roberts to the Cubs, or does he really have to get this Bedard to Seattle charade completed first?Spring Training begins in eight days, Andy…

I’m getting excited for the Terps NCAA Tournament chances.Most websites have Maryland “on the bubble” for an at-large berth.But a win tonight at BC puts them at 5-3 in a decidedly mediocre ACC.The schedule is fairly kind to the Terps down the stretch; two wins this week (N.C. State visits Comcast Center Saturday night) gives them an excellent chance at 10 conference victories.I still believe that’s the magic number for them to get in the Big Dance, because those losses to VCU, Ohio U. and American are RPI killers.But should the Terps go 10-6 in the ACC and finish in the top four, they’ll likely get about a 7 seed in the NCAAs.

Key for tonight’s game: Stopping Tyreese Rice.Hayes and Vasquez have trouble stopping smaller, quicker point guards.Could we see some extended minutes for Adrian Bowie tonight?One more key: Landon Milbourne.If he continues to improve as he has, then Maryland poses real matchup problems for any team in the country.His effectiveness on the wings makes the guards better and leaves Gist and Boom open in the post.Milbourne’s been the biggest and most pleasant surprise by far this season.I can foresee him being a 20 ppg scorer by his senior year.

Unless you have ESPNU, you’ll either have to go out to watch tonight’s game or stay home and tune in Johnny Holliday and Chris Knoche.I’m choosing the latter.Johnny Holliday is absolutely one of the great play-by-play voices of my lifetime.I could listen to him call tiddlywinks.Also, he’s been calling Nationals games on MASN.Here’s one vote to get him on Orioles’ telecasts for ’08.(Oops, my bad: I forgot that anything Baltimore fans like is deliberately ignored by this Reign Of Error.Keep Johnny Holliday on Nats’ games only, Mr. A!)

A few leftover Super Bowl thoughts:I cannot understand why Belichick elected to go for it on 4th and 13 with over 6 minutes left in the 3rd quarter.A field goal from 50 yards would make it a 7 point game in a game where points were clearly at a premium.If you don’t have faith in your current kicker, perhaps you should have given Vinatieri the big bucks two years ago.Also, New England absolutely recovered Ahmad Bradshaw’s fumble on the following series.Since when did wrestling the ball from under a player’s gut (and taking approximately 5 seconds to do so) become legal?Really, an awful piece of officiating.Lastly, why didn’t Randy Moss jump for the ball on the penultimate play of the game?He’s pretty good at that.Was he exhausted?Didn’t it matter?Did he just expect Tom Brady to lay it in his hands from 60 yards away?

This was, by far, my favorite Super Bowl ever in terms of personal finances.Thanks to Lawrence Tynes and the Giants’ D for that 3-0 1st Quarter score!It looks like Papa might get that High-Def TV after all!

For everyone at WNST and those amoung us that killed the Orioles for keeping guys on the coaching staff (Dempsey and Perlozzo) that wanted to be and interviewed for the Managers job…HOW IS THIS ANY DIFFERENT!

I hope Mr. Harbaugh goes to REX and says its great we are going to be working together, but now go speak to your boys who wanted you back so badly and let them know the crap they pulled last year will not be tolerated and if they think because REX RYAN is back all is the same in RAVENLAND, they are sadly mistaken…

For the record I think this hire is terrible news! Although I like REX..class act..nice guy…wrong for this team!

2. ERIK BEDARD is almost a MARINER!

I think this is a great move…it shows a plan…it shows a true youth movement is on its way and shows that the baseball people are finally in charge of the ship.

Whoops! late word in that MR. ANGELOS can;t be found to sign off on the deal…same ole same ole…if the baseball people were really in charge then it would not matter if he was in town or around at all…sad really sad.

3. DUKE beats MD

I am shocked just shocked…well not really. This is not a good basketball team! The need a true point guard. Hayes for some reason is slower then I remember him last year and Vasquez turns the ball over way too much…his bball IQ is not high.

Its a shame because GIST is becoming the type of player we have been waiting for. This team is NOT going to the DANCE…not at 12 – 8 right now…no way.

4. The Redskins…

Thank god for the Redskins…if you thought the way Billick and company were shown the door was done poorly…what do you call what happened in DC last week…WOW!

5. SuperBowl

Patriots 37 Giants 24

Maybe its not that close…I know NY is on a roll and ELI is playing well….but give me 2 weeks and this Patriots team and we can beat anyone.

I get the whole ACE thing…but if the rumors are true..we could get the CF we need, and 2 prospects that many feel are in the top 10 of the Seattle system, including a hot shot SS, depending on who you believe…it has been reported by Ken Rosenthal so that is ok for me. He does not want to sign here folks…so why is this taking so long?

Why is Brian Roberts still an Oriole?

Fan favorite…check…owner favorite..check…..281 lifetime average, 351 on base percentage from a leadoff man, more strikeouts then walks…check…ONE CAREER YEAR…check…HGH..check…cheater..check….getting a pass..check..We can get 3 decent prospects for this guy…this only helps the notion that Angelos is still too involved otherwise this too would be done.

Why are the Orioles so media unfriendly?

I know at WNST it is in vogue to bash the Orioles but they are so scared to let their fans know anything about the goings on with the team it’s really hard to get excited about the team and continue to be a fan.

Why are the Ravens going after an Offensive mind again?

OK the first time they did it…we won a Super Bowl in year 2…but that had little to do with the Offense. I would much rather they bring in a no nonsense Defensive coach who can hire a hotshot offensive coordinator.

Why is this a factor?

Jonathan Ogden says he would not want to play for the Ravens if Marty Schottenheimer is hired as Brian Billick’s replacement.

He acknowledges Schottenheimer would “probably” be the best fit of all the candidates for Baltimore, but pointed out that Marty “had Bruce Smith doing the Oklahoma drill when he was with the Redskins.” Ogden’s decision to retire or return will likely be influenced heavily by who the Ravens hire.

Why is any player involved in this decision?…I want to thank JO for his years of service…but please retire…this team needs the best coach not just for next year but for the future…and no player should influence that decision, not JO, not Ray Ray, not anyone…either you want to play football or not…if not… bye bye.

Why are so many people wanting NE to get beat?

I want to see history. I saw the greatest hockey player in my lifetime (GRETSKY), the greatest basketball player (JORDAN), the greatest golfer (WOODS), the greatest tennis player (SAMPRAS) and the greatest baseball player (BONDS..yes BONDS…say what you wish). I now want to see the greatest team of all-time…

Miguel Tejada is gone. It was a move that we all knew was coming, but I think that we were all hoping to get a little more out of it. Yes, the Orioles got 5 players in return for the former MVP, but is there real talent among them? Of the five, there is no question that outfielder Luke Scott is the biggest name. Yes, he has power. Yes, when he came up in ’06 he lit the world on fire for a couple of months. There are three issues with him. The first one is glaring. He is almost 30 years old. Not exactly the talented youth that we were hoping for in return. The second is his questionalble ability to hit left handers. That could make him a platoon player. He is a mediocre outfielder. He is ticketed to play left field at Camden Yards which requires more than a mediocre ability.

The rest are names we have never heard. Three young pitchers with varying degrees of potential. Finally, a left handed 3rd baseman with pop, but big holes in his swing if you follow his statistics. It seems to me that if you could have gotten one can’t miss prospect for Tejada, that might have read better. Instead, McPhail has netted five players in the hopes that two or maybe three prove to be competent major leaguers.

Here is my big question…..why now? McPhail, known as a patient and methodical mover chose today….the day before the Mitchell report is released to move Tejada. A player who has clearly lost much of his value on the trade market is now gone for a collection of “could be” players. If this were a land deal, wouldn’t that make you wonder about the ground you were purchasing?

Let me be clear about this, I have no knowledge that Tejada is in the Mitchell report, or has done anything wrong. All I know is that since Palmeiro and the B-12 insinuation, there has been a lot of smoke surrounding Tejada. A player who started in the bay area. A little guy with previously amazing if not surprising pop. A player whose numbers have diminished steadily since the new testing policies were put in place by baseball. Now he is traded the day before a report that could become the equivalent of the scarlet letter in baseball circles is released for five “could be” players?

McPhail needed to make a move. He had to find a way to fill several spots with only a few blue chip pieces to move. Wait to long, and you run the risk of injury or continued diminishing abilities further weakening his position. Move to soon and you have what happened here. You get what you can get, and swallow hard and walk away from the table with what you can.

This puts even more pressure on McPhail to get class A talent from any deals involving Bedard and Roberts. The Orioles cannot waste their bullets. They don’t have many to fire. I hope that I no Oriole is listed in tomorrow’s report, and that all of these players turn out to be stars. Maybe I am too jaded, but given the team’s recent history, neither of these hopes seems likely.

I’m not re-hashing anything else from Sunday’s game. The Field Goal was good. A good team would have responded. A good team wouldn’t have been in the situation. This was a bad team that was hoping to get a lucky win. They didn’t. Now they have to figure out how to get a win against an equally desperate team in San Diego, or they will fall to 4-7 and be all but eliminated from playoff consideration.

Moving on, as far as planning for 2007; what can be done? Kyle Boller “is who he is.” What else does anyone need to see? Do you think that if Kyle Boller had started all season, this team would be 7-3 right now? Neither do I. Do we need to see more from the defense? How about from Willis McGahee? We saw that the All-youngster O-Line just wasn’t ready to play; so what else is there? Troy Smith is really the last thing we could see, but none of us REALLY think that’s a good idea, do we?

The organization needs significant changes made in the offseason, and that’s all that can be said at this point.

-What did my former employers expect to get from giving 52 a weekly radio show? I thought they did it in hope to get him to say controversial things, and get some attention from the papers. And if that’s the case, why was 52 protected from answering difficult questions tonight? If tough questions are going to be deflected, why couldn’t it be the Rhys Lloyd show? I’m sure he’s capable of not answering questions too. And can anyone tell me if 52 was taken to task for bailing on talking to the media Sunday? I’m sure it was either not brought up or it was deflected the same way the Billick question was.

-The Orioles are talking to the Dodgers about a Bedard trade? Apparently extension conversations are going well, huh? I can understand the O’s desire to acquire Matt Kemp, but I’m not sure how many innings he threw last year. Oh, he’s an outfielder? You see, I thought that if you were going to trade a Major League ace, you might want to acquire a pitcher who’s at least darn close to Major League ready. Look, if a Bedard extension just won’t happen, I understand why the Birds would look to trade him. But a deal with Matt Kemp at the center just doesn’t work for me.

-The Terps just plain looked putrid on Monday night. They were out of control, they seemed to have no ability to create, and they were never even anything similar to “in synch.” That being said, this isn’t the same as watching the Terps teams when Chris McCray was the primary scorer. You can see that they are talented; they just don’t have it clicking yet. It will come, but I don’t know when it will come. Its possible that it will come no sooner than February. Missouri will be a challenge tonight, especially as this is practically a home game for the Tigers. But this would be an important win for the Terps should they end up on the bubble in March.

-Did anyone in Baltimore write ANYTHING about Lefty Driesell entering the College Basketball Hall of Fame? It’s not the biggest story of all time, but seeing as how the rags all sent reporters to Kansas City, I would have expected some really nice features, or maybe even just one write-up. This is a joke. Lefty SERIOUSLY deserves better for an event like this.

-San Francisco wouldn’t be a bad trip. The Pac-10 representative would likely be Cal or Oregon State. Cal would be a nice preview of an upcoming home and home; Oregon State is beatable, and will look better in history books than a game against Boise State in Idaho. And the Broncos would probably roll over this Terps team, they have a STELLAR offense. BUT OH YEAH-is there any reason to think the Terps will actually win in Raleigh? Ralph needs to come up with a system that works for Chris, and he needs to put the season on Chris’s shoulders with no hesitation.

-Ed Hale is right when he says that Baltimore would not support a NBA or NHL team. However, Ed has been wrong every time he told me that Baltimore wouldn’t support an AFL team. The city would; and Ed shouldn’t look at it as competition with the Blast. Ed wants the arena anyway, so let’s just keep working to that.